Rockin' Bonnie & The Rot Gut Shots (ITALY)
Cocktail Jubilee

©El Toro Records 2009

Back in ’53 when Charline Arthur sang ‘I Heard About You’, she could never have imagined that some half a century later, and halfway around the world, a feisty young Italian singer, Sabrina, aka. Rockin’ Bonnie, would be singing the same words and echoing the same sassy energy...!

This, her debut album. has all the ingredients to make one strong cocktail of musical styles.

Start with the barrelling piano pumping Honky Tonk of ‘I Wanna Make Love’, pour in a measure of classic Country Rockabilly with, ‘What Am I Worth’ and then add a dash of solid self penned Rock’n’Roll with ‘Burnin’.

Mix in a classic duet, ‘Time’s A Wastin’, with a slice of steel guitar... shake well and serve in a cool glass... and if they all turn out like this, keep ‘em coming!!!

Rate This CD! Rating: After 2 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

R.J. & The Phantoms (HOLLAND)
What's The Rumor
RS100
© Red Shoot Records 2009

R.J. - Vocals & Rhythm Guitar
Sasha Karnazov - Bass
Oleg Hoodkin - Lead Guitar
Dimitri Dolinski - Drums

Dutch rockabilly singer R.J. joins up with one of Russia's finnest rockabilly bands The Phantoms for this joint project.

The powerful voice of R.J. combined with the so popular boppin' style of the Phantoms makes you want to party all night long.. '

Rate This CD! Rating: After 2 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

Rockin' Rocket 88 (UK)
Country
WSRC030
© Western Star Records 2009

A great Rockabilly album by one of the UKs top acts who have recorded a nice mix of original material and carefully chosen cover versions. Rocket 88 have been big on the UK scene since the 80's, it's good to see them back with this strong 13 track release from the Western Star Records label.

Rate This CD! Rating: After 5 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

Rhythm 55 (SWITZERLAND)
Rhythm 55
JCRCD005
©Blue Lake Records 2002

This is Rhythm 55's debut album. Rhythm 55 offer here no less than 17 tracks. Apart from their qualities, these musicians show an originality that's scarce in 50's music today! They perfectly mix different styles from country to rhythm and blues. With five original compositions, the band proves its skills to write their own songs, like 'Don't let me stand', a fast bopper or 'Sweet sour melody', a hot rockin' ballad. Great covers like 'Mess around' from Ray Charles, turned into a stroller, 'I'm left, you're right, she's gone', transformed into a saturated blues, the country ballad, 'Hearts of stone', seems just out of a Sun session, or 'Milkcow blues', a perfect vintage rockabilly. There is something to please everyone!

It's quite amazing how many excellent musicians and bands the rock 'n' roll scene has produced over the last few years. And Rhythm 55 is just that - skilled and professional - but in addition to being great musicians, these boys have that little something extra that can only be attributed to the untiring enthusiasm of youth. Rhythm 55 are fresh and motivated and ready to go. It's obvious to anyone that the boys had lots of fun recording these tracks.

Rate This CD! Rating: After 9 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

Smokestack Lightnin' & The Seatsniffers (GERMANY / BELGIUM)
Roadmasters
SRV053
© Sonic Rendezvous 2009

A 2cd packed in a beautiful digipack by Belgian no 1 Roots Rockers "THE SEATSNIFFERS" together with Germany's no. 1 Roots Rockers "SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING". A total of 13 great classic tracks !!!'

Belgian band The Seatsniffers, and German band Smokestack Lightnin’ have long been known throughout Europe as bands with their own, typical, quirky take on American-inspired Roots Rock. Both band have appeared on each other’s records in one way or another more than once, but now they’ve finally released a record together – literally ! – and a fairly unique one at that !
On “Roadmasters”, The Seatsniffers and Smokestack lightnin’ tackle half a dozen cover tunes each, ranging from fairly obvious, to fairly
obscure, from Blue eyed Soul to Rockabilly, stomping R&B, Hard Country to minor key moodiness, with most stops in between, and with both bands’ unique and quirky identies firmly in place.
(Roadmasters is a beautifully done digipack with two separate CD’s, and the great artwork you’ve come to expect from both bands.)

Rate This CD! Rating: After 3 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

The Slapbacks (AUSTRIA)
Buckle Up
RBR-5694
© Rhythm Bomb Records 2009

"It's high time to announce the sale of the long awaited, hopefully Grammy nominated, brand new CD of The Slapbacks called "Buckle Up!"

What can you expect:
17 tracks of true and honest Slapbacks-style Rockabilly as we all like it best. No less than 9 songs are self penned and deeply soaked with the boys' sweat, blood and beer! The covers range from greats like Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash to an innovative version of Charlie Rich's 'Who Will The Next Fool Be'

Conclusion: very diversified and entertaining album with appealing looks

Fits in every Hot Rod!

Rate This CD! Rating: After 9 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

The Slapbacks (AUSTRIA)
Roasted & Toasted - Two Old Slices Of The Slapbacks
PARTCD 656003
© Part Records 2009

The Slapbacks, a synonym for “raw rockabilly”!! This Rockabilly Quartett from Vienna / Austria started out in the year 1995. They played several gigs in and around Vienna in the following years. After a few changes in the Band-Formation the combo found what it was searching for years – their own style. Their Line-Up of Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Double Bass and Drums builds a perfect harmony. Their program is quite mixed up and consists of cover versions from the early fifties as well as self-penned songs in this style. But there are also a few selected songs from the sixties on their setlist.One thing is for sure: You can always spot the pure joy and excitement on the boys' faces while performing live, and this feeling is also captured on these recordings.

This current CD is a re-release, of two long time sold out albums, which really seemed lost!! But now it’s available again, for everybody and it still fascinates the audience! This CD contains the tracks from their first album “Rockabilly Blues” from 2002 as well as the tracks from their second album “Net. Wt. 2.5 O.z” from the year 2003! But that’s not all, folks!! As a special, this CD also contains two previously unreleased recordings!

So, there’s really nothing to think about….this CD is a “must have” for everybody!!!

Rate This CD! Rating: After 3 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

Buck Stevens (USA)
Dance Floor Favorites
WH09001
© Wild Hare Records 2009

“Buck Stevens Dance Floor Favorites” is a very best of album. It represents and contains 16 rockin’ tracks spanning from 2004 until the present. It contains 10 songs from previous CD releases and 6 fresh tracks from 2009. Buck is an international rockabilly star and his music just gets better all of the time. Our picks from the newly recorded material include the ferocious rocker “Baby Makin’ Baby”, hillbilly weeper “I Won’t Be Your Fool” and the big R & B ballad “I Tried”.

As with all Wild Hare releases, both new releases are recorded to glorious analog tape utilizing vintage equipment to give that now signature Wild Hare Records sound.

For more information about Buck Stevens or other Wild Hare Artists, please look us up at www.wildharerecords.com. Wild Hare Records is an independent record label dedicate to the promotion and preservation of hillbilly, rockabilly and raw 50's style rock n roll.

Rate This CD! Rating: After 2 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

The Sunny Bottom Boys (GERMANY)
Keep On The Sunny Side
PARTCD 647001
© Part Records 2007

Doc Tailor / Vocals, Acoustic-Guit., Mandolin;
Scotty Bullock / Vocals, Lead-Guit., 5-String Banjo,Harp
Chris Kaempfert / Vocals, Drums, Washboard;
José Sanchez / Doghouse-Bass;

Since the sensational success of the Coen-Brothers movie “O Brother Where Art Thou” and it’s soundtrack, bluegrass and hillbilly music of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s is popular again!!

But it wasn’t only the movie that gave inspiration to that 5 musicians from “lower Bavaria” and “upper Palatinate” to interpretate this kind of music confident and modern.
The “Sunny Bottom Boys” met casually in a “Country-Saloon” near Munich, named “Eldorado”, just to jam together for fun!
But soon they thought about playing some gigs in front of an audience, because they’ve seen that people liked them playing that music!
So they developed a wide program of Oldtime-Country, Bluegrass, Western-Swing, Rock`n Roll and Rockabilly music.

In 2003 the guys played at the “Pullman City-Country Award”. The jury and audience were so excited that they can’t sit still and the “Sunny Bottom Boys” left that music contest as the best band. They made the first place!!
Because of that they had the chance to play some huge gigs, like the “50’s Rock’n’Roll” in the “German Theatre” in Munich, where they performed infront of about 1000 people who rewarded the band with giant applause!
They are also playing at Europe’s biggest Harley meeting, what give’s them a lot of fun as anybody can see!
The “Sunny Bottom Boys” sold their soul to the music, to Rock’n’Roll tunes and bluegrass songs they’re playing!

Rate This CD! Rating: After 2 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5

The Reptiles(GERMANY)
Jump To The Cellar Rock
JCRCD 006
© Blue Lake Records 2007

From the JCR Records in Switzerland comes a new debut album of an all Swiss band called The Reptiles from Thun, Oberland, where the guys used to play in the town orchestra. In 1996 these four friends got together to play the music they loved, rockabilly. They bought, and even rented, some instruments and found a room to practice. Since they had no background playing rockabilly at all, they just improvised, wrote their own songs, both English and German, and after 7 years of practicing (just kidding) got a chance to record a full length CD at JCR's vintage recording studio in Montreux.

The result is the Reptiles' debut release "Jump To The Cellar Rock", packed with 15 rocking tracks, self-penned by Christoph and Martin, ranging from rebel rockabilly to horror bop and a bit of Teddy Boy rock 'n' roll. Roland plays a steady upright bass in a style that reminds of the early rockabilly revival from the U.K., Christoph is hitting the skins, while both take on the vocals. Martin and Marcel are picking the strings and together they make quite a lot of bopping noise.

The opener is a straight forward, fast paced rockabilly song titled "Sworn To Fun, Loyal To None" with cool guitar licks, followed by the Ted song "Stay With Us". Next is a rebel song with a Luther Perkins rhythm "Rebels Are Here To Stay". The title of the song "Silver Surfer" implies a bit of surf influence, but only a little bit, it's a fabulous rockabilly song with lotsa guitar breaks. "The Wild Ones" reminds of the early years of Restless, and although the title is English, this is a German language song. Since I'm from Holland myself, I have no problems understanding it, and it's one heck of a rocking track! "Motorrad mit Flammenlack", cool...

And there's a lot more rock 'n' roll on this platter, with changing rhythms, lots of variety and well written lyrics like "if you don't like Elvis or Rockabilly, you're a girl just talking silly" (Switzerland Rock). "Screaming Psychedelic Werewolf" is something else too (this is not psycho!), and Roland is thumping away real cool on "Rockabilly Kelly". As one would expect from JCR Studios, the sound is awesome and the boys are obviously having lots of fun. Great debut release!

Rate This CD! Rating: After 2 Votes 5/54/53/52/51/5